Crispy Coconut Chicken Tenders

Ultra-crispy baked Coconut Chicken Tenders with a quick five-ingredient honey-mustard dipping sauce.

Let’s Talk Chicken Tenders

Ok, first things first. We use chicken tenders for this recipe. You can use chicken breasts, but you’ll need to cut them into thin strips — so they’re the size of tenders. Depending on the breast size, you can get three or four tenders from one breast.

To prepare the chicken tenders, you’ll need to remove the tendons. This may seem like a tedious task (I used to hate it), but wait till you see and try this easy hack! For more deeply embedded tendons, I like to cut them out with a sharp paring knife. Once you remove the tendons, cut out any other gristle or fat and then pat dry the tenders with a paper towel.

There are two options at this point:

• Marinate the chicken tenders. Don’t worry — the “marinade” isn’t a whole cacophony of ingredients; in fact, there’s only one ingredient: coconut milk! The coconut milk further emphasizes the tropical coconut flavor in the chicken and also acts as a tenderizer to make the chicken ultra juicy and flavorful. Even as little as 20-30 minutes can make a difference! 
• Use as-is. If you want to skip the marinating, no problem. You’ll still get crispy and tasty coconut chicken! Pat the chicken tenders well with a paper towel and proceed with the recipe.

Coconut Chicken Tenders Breading Notes

Once the chicken is prepped, it’s time to dredge it in the batter, then the breading, and then pop it in the oven. Here’s a quick rundown of the batter and breading steps:

First, the batter:

• Egg and coconut milk. These two ingredients contribute flavor and are the main components of liquid in this batter.
• Dijon mustard. This ingredient adds complexity to the flavor.
• Flour. A little flour thickens the breading to ensure it stays on the chicken.
• Spices. I like to add the spices to the batter, rather than the breading, to ensure the chicken gets that spice blend all over it. We use pretty standard spices here — paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt & pepper.

Then, the two-ingredient breading:

• Panko: Lighter and crunchier than regular bread crumbs. It gives baked chicken a much crispier finish, which really matters when you are not frying.
• Sweetened coconut flakes: Add a hint of sweetness. A quick pulse in a food processor breaks them down so the coating sticks better and bakes evenly.

Making Coconut Chicken Tenders Crispy

No, baked chicken tenders will never be quite as crispy as deep-fried, but you can still get them seriously crunchy. Here’s how:

• Use a wire rack. Bake the chicken on a wire rack set over a sheet pan so hot air circulates all around. This crisps every side. No rack? Flip the chicken halfway.
• Spray generously. Cooking spray prevents sticking and helps the coating turn golden and crunchy.
• Toast the panko and coconut first. A quick bake adds flavor and pre-crisps the coating, which means crunchier chicken once it’s baked.

Air Frying Coconut Chicken Tenders

1. Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F. Add the tenders to the fryer basket in one even layer. You may need to do this in batches; don’t overlap chicken.
2. Cook for 5-8 minutes, flip the tenders, spray with cooking spray on the other side, and cook for another 5-8 minutes or until golden brown and cooked to 160 degrees F. (Carryover heat will take them to 165 degrees F.)

Dipping Sauce Tips

The sauce is a must-have for coconut chicken tenders — it has so much flavor and makes the chicken truly unforgettable! I have a few tips to share:

• Use good mayo. I highly recommend real, full-fat mayonnaise for the best possible dipping sauce. Hellmann’s/Best Foods is my favorite brand. 
• For this sauce, we’re using yellow mustard, not Dijon–which won’t taste quite right here. Dijon is for the breading batter, and yellow mustard is for the dipping sauce.
• Sweeten to taste. I wouldn’t consider this sauce overly sweet, but it does have a touch of sweetness. If you prefer a less sweet sauce, add the honey slowly and to taste.
• Don’t forget to season. A little pinch of salt and pepper goes a long way in rounding out flavors and balancing ingredients.
• Add a flavorful honey BBQ sauce. We like Sweet Baby Ray’s Honey BBQ sauce best in this recipe.

More Delicious Chicken Recipes: 

Salads

BBQ Chicken Salad

Dinner

Shish Tawook (Chicken on Skewers)

Dinner

Grilled Chicken Marinade {With Video}

Dinner

Chicken Pot Pie Pasta